Gov. Ted Kulongoski plugs in the all-electric Nissan LEAF to a quick-charge station available for public-use at the Two World Trade Center parking garage at 121 S.W. Salmon St., downtown.
Portland General Electric and NEC Corporation, a leading network, communications and information technology company, have opened North America’s first public-use, quick-charge station for electric vehicles.
The station, located in the Two World Trade Center parking garage at 121 S.W. Salmon St., is specialized for recharging electric vehicles with lithium-ion batteries and requires only 20 to 30 minutes to recharge a battery to 80 percent of full strength.
PGE and NEC officially opened the quick-charge station Thursday with Gov. Ted Kulongoski, who charged up an all-electric Nissan LEAF. Portland and the state of Oregon have been designated as top-tier launch markets for the Nissan LEAF when it goes on sale in December.
“Quick-charging stations are an exciting advancement in our effort to bring electric vehicles to Oregon,” said Gov. Kulongoski. “By making charging convenient and available for public use, we are telling car manufacturers that Oregon is ready for the next generation of electric vehicles — and we want our state to be a leader in introducing these cars to the rest of the country.”
